


Thief

by Chocobofever



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Futuristic, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Prisoner of War, Rebel!Iruka, Royal Forces!Kakashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-25 18:45:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4972165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocobofever/pseuds/Chocobofever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Royal Forces commander Kakashi finds himself robbed of something precious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kakashi wasn't sure what to expect when he was called up to Tsunade's office, but this definitely wasn't it. On the screen of the pad in his hands flashed a picture as soon as Kakashi's shaky finger pressed the button. His breath caught, eyes frantically scanning the picture, the trepidation he'd felt being replaced by confusion. It was a picture of Iruka, looking good he might add, lacking the seemingly permanent rings under his eyes that Kakashi had grown accustumed to seeing him with, but what really caught Kakashi's attention was the thing in his lap. A child, no, a baby.

"You wouldn't have dared..." Kakashi cursed, hastily scrolling down to get to the written message. It was brief, only two lines, but it caused him to pause.  
  
**I NAMED HIM KYOSHIRO. I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND.**  
  
The message lacked a signature, but the sender was rather self evident. Iruka. Sending Tsunade a picture of the kid he'd had with... Someone who had replaced Kakashi.  
  
"I would like to hear your thoughts on this."  
  
Kakashi slowly looked up. He avoided Tsunade's eyes, letting his gaze land between the grim lines of her eyebrows instead. He wasn't sure he could look her in the eye without breaking down. "I'm not sure what you expect me to say, Tsunade-hime," he said dully.

That damn Iruka...  
  
"Cut the bullshit Kakashi. Do you even realize how much of a scandal this is going to be? Damn it..." Tsunade bit her thumb in frustration. "The Elders are going to have my head."  
  
"Maah... Surely it's not that bad." For Tsunade. It was _Kakashi's_ world being crushed, for a second time in the short span of months, the first having been when Iruka vanished during a raid to their ship. Technically Iruka's disappearance could be considered a rescue since technically he had been a prisoner, but Iruka had been happy on their ship dammit, or so Kakashi had thought.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," noted Tsunade suspiciously. Kakashi shrugged. He was about to have an internal crisis and would probably fall asleep crying into his pillow, but she didn't need to know that. Kakashi had all night to think of what kind of woman might have won Iruka's heart and sired a baby with him. "Well... I suppose that's good. It's not like we run much of a chance of retrieving the kid with how carefully they are bound to hide him, knowing who the father is."

"Oh? I didn't know Iruka was that important of a figure," drawled Kakashi. Iruka had, according to the brunette himself, been a teacher before being brought aboard the Konoha mothership and Kakashi believed him, the observations he'd made of Iruka with children supporting that theory. Iruka was amazing with kids, the ankle biters loved him.

Tsunade sent him a look, the kind which said he was an idiot, which Kakashi wasn't since he was a genious. Lots of people could attest to that. Well, some of them were dead, but surely someone still remained.

"In this instance, Iruka would technically be considered the mother," said Tsunade slowly. Kakashi was pretty sure Tsunade herself did not realize how little sense her words made. "Oh, for the sake of... Hatake, the father is obviously you! How else could Iruka appear three months after we last saw him, with a newborn baby in his arms?"

Kakashi blanched.

"Men!" huffed Tsunade.

"Iruka is a man," said Kakashi, quickly and without doubt. He had _checked_ and since he was a genious he knew what that meant for the biology of them, unless... The look in Tsunade's eyes said she really thought that could be it. "He said it wasn't possible. He _laughed_   when I asked him about it."  
  
"He probably laughed at your ignorance," muttered Tsunade. "He fooled us all."

Tsunade, his leader and a medical professional, was saying she thought male pregnancies might be true after all. That Kakashi might have gotten a man pregnant. That Iruka, a man, might have grown an uterus without him noticing and had now, apparently, carried Kakashi's child to term and had somehow, inconceivably given birth to it.

Kakashi was a quick-witted man, but for once he had no idea how to think or feel.

"None of this would have happened if you could just have kept it in your pants! I bet the Rebels are laughing their asses off as we speak. Do you realize how suspicous will look that you were gone when the breakout happened?"

"Your Highness..." began Kakashi.

"Oh spare me the grovelling. It's not your loyalty I doubt, it's your common sense. Though I'm fairly sure I know who stole it, along with your sperms."

Kakashi winced. "You seriously cannot think..."

"I do," said Tsunade firmly. Kakashi met her eyes and it was both the most fearsome and the most powerful experience of his life to date, his heart starting to drum at an eccentric pace and his breathing feeling heavy. Tsunade's eyes softened, in warmth and in pity. "Congratulations are in order, I suppose. Though the circumstances are not ideal, I belive he would be your first?"

Kakashi swallowed. Somehow he found it in himself to tilt his head in responce to his leader's query.

His first. Kakashi's first. A son. His son. Also Iruka's son. Their son?

No wonder Tsunade thought the Elders might be angry. They would be _furious_ that their enemies had managed to steal a progeny of Kakashi's, which they themselves had been hoping for for years. And in such a sneaky way too.

"Sit down," said Tsunade, and instead of taking the chair several feet away Kakashi slumped into a low crouch, putting his head in between his knees. He felt nauseous, distinctly ill. He hoped he wouldn't vomit, that was always a nasty business with the mask. Tsunade had seen his face, but he would still rather not take it off.

Especially not now. Not when... No. He shouldn't think of that, it only made him feel worse.

He felt Tsunade's hand on his shoulder, and though the touch felt awkward he could appreciate the gesture.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm fairly certain he doesn't hate you," said Tsunade softly. Kakashi laughed, the sound emotionless and hollow. "He lied to me," he said, brushing her words off. Tsunade made a low noise. "He named the boy after your father though." Kakashi's head whipped up. "Think of it," urged Tsunade.

He thought of it. Kyoshiro. In the message Iruka called the boy, his son, Kyoshiro. Kyo and Shiro. Shiro. White. Like the White Fang? Kakashi had never gotten very well along with his father though. But Iruka didn't know that...

"It could be coincidence," said Kakashi, cautious about making assumptions when his previous ones had obviously failed him where it mattered the most.

"I don't think so. Seems pretty thought out to me," said Tsunade. "It's a rather clever play of words since Kyoshiro honors the Rebels' traditions for names also."

So maybe Tsunade was right. Maybe Iruka _didn't_ hate him.

Kakashi clawed at his mop of hair. That... Minx! He'd always known Iruka had a mischevious side to him, but for the brunette to have planned something so... Something so...

"Are you angry?"

"Furious," responded Kakashi promptly and it wasn't even a lie.

"Do you want me to send you the picture?" Kakashi's breath caught. He slowly looked up.

The picture. Of Iruka's and Kakashi's son, of Kyoshiro. He had a picture.

Suddenly Kakashi wanted nothing more than stare at the picture of Iruka and their son for all eternity. His fingers twitched with the need to grab the pad from Tsunade and claw his way to the picture he had only glanced at before. He wanted to see every detail, wanted to search for every resemblance of Iruka and of Kakashi on the baby's face, wanted to see the happy curve to Iruka's lips and the way the baby curled contently against his chest—

"Yes please," said Kakashi, collecting himself and standing upright. Tsunade gave him a cursory glance, and wether she found what she was looking for or not, she nodded.

"You're dismissed."

And though it wasn't perfect, it was a start.

* * *

The next time Kakashi received word of Iruka and the baby was four months later, when Tenzo was released after a period of captivity at the Rebels' hands. Tenzo was bruised and battered, but he had a happy smile on his lips and apparently he had been allowed to hold Iruka's baby in between his interrogation sessions.

Kakashi nearly murdered him for it.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Kakashi became aware of was the beat of his heart. Not the speed or the steadiness of it, but rather the fact that it was beating at all.

Why did he expect to find his heart still?

Right, that was it. When the Empire had fallen Kakashi had been put under to wait for the rise of a new emperor. Was it time, then? Had they found someone? Hopefully not Danzo—Though the man was undeniably powerful he was also something of a dick and Kakashi wasn't sure he would live long under the command of Danzo unless he learned to curb his tongue (which he would rather not).

How long had it been? Months? Years? Decades, like some of Tsunade's closest confidents had feared it would be?

Laughter, the kind of a monster, sounded close to Kakashi's ear. "Look, it's an old man! Why would they preserve something like that?"

"He's not that old, Akeem. He seems like a _very nice_ man to me. I bet he was a gentleman back when he was still alive," sniffed the voice of a girl.

"He's not dead," said a third voice. A boy, just as disasturously young as the two previous ones, but this one at least speaking in a calmer, more leveled voice. "These are lifepods. They preserved people in them after the war."

"W-What?"

"You mean to say he's alive?" The little monster sounded elated.

Reaching out with his senses Kakashi could feel the lifeforce of the boy leaning into his pod, checking him out way closer than anybody that age had a right doing. Where were the kid's parents? Negletful scoundrels—Kakashi would bet they were enjoying a nice bath or doing something similarly selfish while the likes of Kakashi were left to suffer under the hands of their progeny. Only if they were currently in the midst of sex would Kakashi ever forgive them.

"I don't like this. Shiro, Akeem, let's just go home before anyone notices we're gone."

Kakasih's eyelids felt heavy, but they opened when he commanded them to. In front of him opened up the blurry outline of a boy and Kakashi felt his fingers twitching in anticipation.

He was lucky it hadn't been enemy soldiers who had found him. _They_ would have known to pull the plugs before any of the people in the caches had a chance to waken. Kakashi didn't particularly enjoy the prospect of killing children, but for the sake of his agenda it would be much better if the world didn't learn of his awakening so soon.

A sharp gasp sounded, not from the boy closest to Kakashi. "Now you've done it, he's awa _—Look at his eyes."_

The girl let out a terrified shriek. Kakashi winced in the cache, pulling out the cords from his neck and arms. "Children, children _, please_ mind the decibels." Kakashi's voice sounded terrible, raspy from—Months? Years?—of unuse. The boy closest to him, the one to open his cache, no longer looked adventurous, stumbling back and off the pedestal while his face lost all of its tanned color. Kakashi licked his his lips and lifted his gaze.

One girl, two boys, the other of a very pale, porcelain skin color while the other one was a very obvious Rebel. The pale one had his hands raised and he'd stepped in front of the girl, presumably to protect her.

"Name and affiliation?" barked the pale boy. Kakashi blinked slowly, making sure to keep his amusement from showing on his face. The boy looked so serious, so fierce, with his pinched brows and mouth pressed in a tight line.

The kids were just as young as Kakashi had assumed them to be. Ten, maybe eleven years old. Too old to be under constant supervision, but still too young and naive to understand what kind of dangers awaited them in the world. Kakashi had never been one of the adventurous ones, having been in full trainining by then, but he remembered them -- classmates that never returned from the tests of courage they'd been provoked to take part in. In retrospection Kakashi had had a very boring childhood, never taking part in tomfoolery or games, but at least he'd survived to tell the tale.

"Maah... As it happends—" began Kakashi, only to be rudely interrupted.

"Answer the question."

The corners of Kakashi's lips decidedly did not turn up.

"Answer it," hissed the boy, his shoulders dropping in disgust as he apparently picked up on the notions Kakashi thought he'd hidden quite expertly under a mask of _—Oh._ Kakashi lifted a hand to stroke his bare face in wonder. When had he let them do that? No... They must have done it after he'd been put under, the scoundrels.

"Shiro..."

"Quiet, Akane. Let me and Akeem deal with this."

"Yeah, we've got you, Akane," said Akeem, seeming to gather his bearings and taking up position next to the other—Shiro. "Hey, old man! We're not afraid of you! Come at us with all you've—Ouch! Hey, what was that for?"

"Don't provoke him, stupid!"

"I'm not stupid, Akane. Don't call me that," said Akeem, turning to her with a hurt expression—effectively turning his back to Kakashi, the assumed threat. Kakashi smoothly turned his eyes away, pretending he had not see anything.

They were ten, he patiently reminded himself.

"It's rather rude to demand a person's name without introducing yourself first," Kakashi said, directing his words to the pale one -- Shiro.

Shiro let out a sound of disgust. Kakashi liked him more by the minute. "That might be—If you didn't know our names already! I'm not going to repeat myself any more times: Name and affiliation? And don't lie," he added quickly, before seeming to catch himself and returning his face to the firm scowl of earlier.

"Maah..." said Kakashi, scratching the side of his face languidly—while taking a quick look around the room. Half lights, probably to save energy, and a sterilized grey-scale room with many caches, similar to his one, stationed in a row. If he looked carefully he could see STORAGE written in grey-scale letters across the far wall, matching his first impression. The room was narrow and long, and though the children were all standing close to the exit  there was no way they would be able to escape on their much shorter legs.

"Shiro..." keened the girl again. "I'm scared."

"Why always Shiro? I'll protect you too, Akane, and I'm much stronger than Shiro is."

"Shut up, Akeem," said Shiro flatly. His eyes never left Kakashi's figure.

"What? It's true!"

"Akeem! Now is really not the time!"

Tired of pretending he did not notice the children's bickering, Kakashi pushed himself up with a sigh, inhaling sharply a second later when he found his legs a lot weaker than he'd anticipated. Uh oh. So it really had been a long time. Kakashi was pretty sure the cache was supposed to slow down many of the body's workings, to a point where they'd called it 'freezing'. If his muscles had athrophied this much it must mean it had been at least... Well, a long time.

"Stand back, Akane!"

"You really don't need to be so afraid of me,"  said Kakashi, attempting a nice smile.

"I-I'll kill you if you if you try to hurt her! D-Don't come any closer!"

Oh well. This was why he always wore a mask.

"This is your last chance, Unkown, _"_ said Shiro. Rebels, as Kakashi had suspected. "State your name and allegiance or face the consequences of your discord!"

"Quite adult words for such a little boy," crooned Kakashi. The boys, along with the girl, were already backing their way out of the room. Not that it would matter. They were too young to stop an elite assassin like him, even in his weakened state. 

 ~~ ♥ ~~ ♥♥♥  ~~ ♥ ~~

"Let go," growled Kakashi, sounding far less alarmed than he felt. The situation was humiliating to say the least. He'd make sure Iruka never found out that he'd almost been bested by a kid who was, what, ten years old? The dumb one, as Kakashi had come to call the other boy, had been sent flying with a well aimed kick and currently lay unconcious on the floor, but the kid Kakashi had set out to take down first had actually managed to take him by surprise not once but twice, currently holding on to Kakashi's thumb with his teeth.

"L-Let him go! Don't hurt Shiro!"

It actually _hurt._

Icy, determined eyes, only made stronger by the fear in them. Any decent brat would have hesitated to bite a person's finger off, but this one gave Kakashi no such considerations. Kakashi's insides tingled at the prospect. Excitement? Yes, a child like this would have made a good soldier. It was a shame he had to die. Most people found it difficult to kill, but this one would have learned. His determination reminded Kakashi of how he himself been as a kid. Iruka was stubborn, but Kakashi's kind of stubborn was violent, capable of atrocities for the sake of what he believed to be important. A strong man might give his life to protect those he held dear, but this child would be out to kill. He would _kill_ to protect those he held dear.

"I-Iyaa!" The girl charged. All it took was for Kakashi to turn her way, holding the boy as a living shield, for her approach to be hindered. Her knife lowered in her indecision and all she could do was watch as her friend was left in a distressing situation.

He would ensure the brats had a painless death, if nothing else. "You should have just stayed at home like your mother told you," said Kakashi in a low tone. He was sure the brat heard him for the boy's silvery eyes turned to his. He put his fingers to the brat's neck and took in the brat's sudden flare of nostrils when he realized what Kakashi was about to do.

It really was a shame. Kakashi didn't enjoy killing children, but knew what he had to do. If only they'd stayed out of trouble... This kid too. He wasn't bad. If he had the proper training he might even be—Kakashi's thoughts froze. 

No. No way. It couldn't be.

"Are you a Hatake?" blurted Kakashi out. He could barely believe he was asking it, but the white hair, pale skin, the icy eyes and the dry temperament...

He wasn't quite so surprised when the boy spit Kakashi's thumb out of his mouth and said, "No, but my father was. You're one too, aren't you?"

Kakashi felt like puking. A Hatake. No, apparently not a Hatake, but his father had been—That _was_ a Hatake. How long had passed since Kakashi's time?

"What year is it?" Kakashi croaked out.

"Are you a cousin? Are there... Are there more of you?"

Kakashi staggered back, his grip on the boy slipping. Shiro fell on his feet in a crouch and he did not make any attempts to move further, piercing Kakashi with his gaze, still breathing hard from the abuse he'd taken.

"Are there?" the boy challenged.

"Shiro?" said the girl, Kakashi had forgotten about her, timidly.

Kakashi closed his eyes, biting back the bile. "Kyoshiro?" he guessed, voice breaking badly. The boy's gaze snapped to him, eyes narrowing sharply.

"How do you know that?" Kyoshiro demanded.

"Just a guess," said Kakashi, laughing weakly. It wasn't really funny though. "Maah, it seems like there has been a... Misunderstanding." He raked a hand through his hair, feeling like he'd ran a marathon. Or had been ran over by a spaceship. Which he would be, once Iruka found out. "You really should not go about waking sleeping people. See, they might be grouchy if they're not of the morning kind... Anyway, now that the situation has been cleared up I believe I shall take my leave."

"We're related, aren't we?"

Kakashi winced. The boy really was too sharp for his own good. There had been a good reasons for why Kakashi had not wanted to procreate, only becoming more apparent by the minute.

"You..." The boy suddenly sounded far less sure, even looking away before he focused on Kakashi once more, seeming to gather all of his courage to do so. There was something eerily familiar about the way he jutted his chin up and _that_ had nothing to do with Kakashi's heritage. "You're Hatake Kakashi, aren't you? Commander of the Royal Forces, also known as the Copy Cat of the Empire."

"No, I'm not." Let the boy fall for it, let the boy...

"Are you my father?"

The girl gasped.

Kakashi squeezed his eyes closed. How could the boy say it so easily? He must have gotten that from Iruka, for neither Kakashi nor Sakumo had ever been brave enough to discuss matters of a familial nature.

The silence stretched and eventually Kyoshiro made a tsk'ing sound. "I was just curious, that's all."

Kakashi was so fucked. Where was Iruka when Kakashi needed him to explain things?


	3. SHIP ARC: Prelude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say. Sorry I didn't respond to all supportive messages immediately ;_;

 

Where was Kakashi when Iruka needed someone to strangle? Iruka had never expected raising a child alone would be easy, but nobody had prepared him for this: Sheer, utter panic.

Shiro was ten. Ten! How could a ten year old boy have managed to leave the ship along with his two equally young best friends? Iruka had no doubt it was his boy who had re-programmed the escape pod, but he hoped to roll the blame onto someone else’s child. Shiro was in enough trouble as it was. Who knew what kind of dangers could be found in these corners of space? It had been years since the Empire soldiers had deserted the area, their mothership destroyed and lesser vessels stolen.

“Umino-san! Umino-san! Come to the bridge, quick!”

One thing however was sure, thought Iruka, watching Sakura approach. The pink haired girl had grown up to be a remarkable lady, now assisting him on the bridge as Junior Communications Officer. “I’m sorry. Shiro is gone and I need to find him. Tell Ibiki I’ll report at the bridge as soon as I’m sure he’s safe and sound.”

Sakura stopped to catch her breath, bracing herself on her knees, he face almost as red as her pink hair. “That’s what it’s about! The escape pod—It’s coming back!”

Iruka’s eyes bulged. “What?” Shiro had managed to send it back? No... Shiro might be a genius, but pods were meant to fly only one way. Restarting one without proper pass-codes was close to impossible. Iruka sucked in a shaky breath. “Thank you, Sakura.” He paused. “Do you happen to know which hangar they’ll be directing it to?”

“I’m not sure.” Sakura bit her lip. “The one it gravitates towards, I suspect. Kotetsu-san and Hayate-san are on the alert, ready to suck it in if there are any problems.”

Iruka closed his eyes in relief. _Chances of child running small escape pod into big ship minimized, check._ “I’ll go meet him,” Iruka said. Sakura flashed a smile.

“Don’t be too harsh with him,” she said knowingly, before turning on her heel and starting her job back to the bridge. The automated doors opened and closed after her, leaving Iruka to stand alone in the hallway once more, only green-scale walls to keep him company.

“I won’t be,” Iruka said quietly to himself. “He’s my son. I wouldn’t kill him even if he deserves it.”

~~ ♥ ~~ ♥♥♥  ~~ ♥ ~~

“Dad, listen,” was what Shiro said the moment he stepped over the threshold. Of course Iruka did not. Instead of speaking, knowing no good words would pass his lips in this moment, Iruka grabbed his son by the ear, pinching viciously so that his son squeaked like a little pig.

“Iruka-sa...” two children began to say, speaking as one voice, but Iruka barely managed to register them; Before he knew it, Shiro was quiet and Iruka was flying through the air, landing on his shoulder so it let out an unhappy crunch. Iruka gaped, seeing stars.

“Oh, shit. Sorry– Fuck, don’t kill me for that.”

It had been a while since Iruka hit his head hard enough to hear dead voices in his head. He was pretty sure he recognized that one.

“Dad!”

“Iruka-san! Don’t be dead, Iruka-san!”

“I bet he broke his back. Or his neck. That circle in the air, like swoosh, it was amazing!”

“ _Akeem_.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Dumbo. I didn’t break his back.” Kakashi paused. “I think...”

Iruka coughed. “Don’t call a child Dumbo, asshole.”

“See? He’s perfectly fine.”

Iruka hadn’t been sure he remembered what Kakashi’s voice sounded like, it had been so long, but it seemed his unconscious mind had the man’s mannerisms down to a pat. Even Kakashi’s featherbrain had been perfectly replicated.

“Come on, help me hold him up... Iruka, how many fingers am I holding up?”

Iruka squinted. Slowly the image righted itself, revealing a pale hand with two fingers held up in the classic victory sign. Looking slightly to the left, Iruka caught sight of the owner. Owner 0f the hand. The hand attached to an arm which was attached to a shoulder which was attached to a... You get the picture.

Iruka rubbed his head. “I think I hit my head. I’m seeing things.”

“What... Really? What are you seeing? Look at my fingers.” The two fingers curled and uncurled, like two rabbit ears waving in Iruka’s face. “You can see them, right? How many fingers? It’s just two, you can count to t... I mean, you can see for yourself.”

“Get off him.” Shiro pushed the older version of himself away, taking Kakashi’s place at Iruka’s side. The frown on the boy’s face softened. “Dad?”

_Shiro._ Iruka let his eyes scan the boy’s body, from head to toe, checking for missing limbs and displaced toes. “You’re grounded,” Iruka said. “So, so grounded. Until the age of twenty-one, minimum.”

Shiro did not look happy, but he nodded. “Yes, dad,” he said in the sweetest voice. Iruka felt his heart melting. Then he looked up and it hardened again.

“Hullo,” said Kakashi, hands held behind boxer clad hips, looking about as casual as the time he’d first tried hitting on Iruka in the ship canteen. He looked exactly as Iruka remembered him, only older, by three, four, five years and he sported a beard now... Which probably was not on purpose, Iruka decided. It didn’t look fantastic on him. “Er, you look good,” was the next thing Kakashi said, and that too felt very familiar.

“I’m old,” Iruka said.

“Not that old,” said Kakashi, but Iruka could see the man scanning him with a new eye. Iruka knew he looked different; The hair, the clothes, the age.

“Thirty-two this spring. That would be two months away,” Iruka said, answering the unspoken question. Apparitions—No, not apparitions because with his luck, this was the real deal—Wouldn’t know the date.

“Eh,” said Kakashi. “So you found a way to catch up and pass me by. Very sneaky of you, sensei.”

Iruka’s lips twitched. Then he came to think of another time he’d been fairly sneaky and he grew serious once more.

He hadn’t seen his ex-lover in more than ten years.


	4. SHIP ARC: One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi's adventures on the ship begin. Iruka is worried about something. Will his knight in shining armor ride in to save the day or (as usual) make things worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS~~ Thanks again, everybody. I just realized that for this story, I for some reason haven't been answering to the messages individually. Instead, I CHANNEL YOUR ENERGY INTO MY WRITING. That's good, right?

The Dancing Dragon was one of the ships stolen from the Empire at the end of the war. It was a heavy artillery battleship with an extensive on-ship garden and botany lab, which was why Iruka and so many others had asked to be employed on it. The green colors continued throughout the ship’s interior, all the way through the hallways to the bridge, which, confusingly enough, someone had decided to color blue.

“Good morning,” Iruka said, arriving fifteen minutes early for his shift. Iruka was the acting Communications Officer and he often found himself on Beta shift to help lead the crew when Ibiki was off duty. This time, Ibiki greeted him with a smile and Iruka stilled in his tracks.

“Good morning,” Ibiki replied, sounding _cheerful,_ and out of the corner of his eye, Iruka spied the rest of his colleagues shuddering where they hunched over their consoles.

Other than for its curious coloring, the Dancing Dragon was known for its dour Commander, Scar-face Ibiki. Iruka had been working with the rough-mannered Rebel for close to a decade now, having reported to him for the past four, and he’d only seen his superior smile once; Ibiki had his knife deep in the enemy’s loins at the time.

“Is it?” Iruka asked weakly.

“It is, especially good now that you’ve joined us,” Ibiki said cryptically. He held out his arm, still smiling. “Why don’t you sit down?”

\--

Kakashi pumped the rowing machine furiously, the need to feel back in shape burning hot in his mind. The sight of his skinny arms was downright embarrassing, making Kakashi wish he’d put more of an effort into eating healthily in the months before the cryo tank; Maybe then it wouldn't be so bad. That was why he was up and about so early, heading out to the gym at first light.

The doors opened with a quiet hiss, revealing a pink-haired Rebel. Kakashi kept up his repetitive movements, knowing that's she'd speak regardless.

"Good morning, Kakashi-san," Sakura said. If she was upset to find he'd left his rooms, she did not say it. "Ibiki-sama wanted you to have this." Kakashi slowed down, now looking at her, seeing Sakura had brought with her a thick folder. "News," she explained before he could ask. "You've been asleep for a long time."

"Oh," Kakashi said, finally stopping. His lungs kept expanding arduously, sweat running down the sides of his face. "Thanks." If he was honest with himself, he'd probably been going a bit too fast. Stopping might not be such a terrible idea, especially if it meant he could do some reconnaissance.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? Food, entertainment... Whatever you wish for, I can have it arranged," Sakura said, amiable more than confident, yet Kakashi found himself believing every word. It brought to question; Why were they being so damn nice?

"Maah, I believe I'm quite alright, thank you," Kakashi said, smiling with his one eye. As Sakura began to turn, he suddenly thought of something. "Actually, wait." Sakura stilled, turning her head to look over her shoulder. Kakashi gestured for her to come closer. The girl's brows furrowed. “Closer,” Kakashi urged. Finally, the pink haired Rebel complied, seeming curious. When she was close enough, Kakashi grabbed her by the wrist, ignoring her startled yelp and pulling her to sit right next to him on the rowing machine. “I need to ask you something,” Kakashi said, speaking right into the girl’s ear.

“W-What?” Sakura stammered, attempting to lean away but Kakashi trapped her with his arm, keeping her close. If this place was as he remembered it, there would be hidden cameras aimed at them right now. Kakashi angled his body just so, hoping that his head and hair hid Sakura’s lips from view. "W-What are you..."

“Is Iruka seeing someone?”

Sakura stilled. A beat later, her head turned to face Kakashi, their noses almost touching. “Iruka-san?” she asked.

“Yes.” If Kakashi was to make a fool of himself, he at least wanted to make sure he’d removed the competition beforehand.“I need to know things like... Is it serious? Does Kyoshiro know and if he does, what does he think of it? A name and a face would be useful.” It was so much easier to take care of nuisances before you’d established yourself as a potential threat.

Sakura was quiet for a moment. “I really, really... Really don’t think I’m the best person to ask,” she said eventually, blinking stupidly like she thought she was looking at a dream. 

Kakashi scoffed.

“I mean seriously,” Sakura hurried to say. “Shouldn’t you be speaking to Iruka about this?”

Kakashi wanted to deal with the issue as cleanly and as gentlemanly as possible. It would be a shame if he were to steal aircraft only to run over the wrong Rebel with it. “I want to be mentally prepared,” he muttered.

“Yes, of course...” Sakura rubbed her brows. “But I really, really think you need to speak with Iruka. Or even Shiro-kun.” The pink haired girl looked up. “You’re the father, right?”

 _Yes,_ Kakashi wanted to say. Instead, his cowardice kicked in. “I thought a woman would be better to ask. You tend to sense these things so much more accurately than men," Kakashi said, neatly side-stepping the subject. He really thought some old fashioned flattery would to do the job, but instead of being charmingly appreciative, Sakura called him out in true Rebel fashion.

“Coward,” she said bluntly. Kakashi winced, though he was sure she did not _which_ cowardice he was far more embarrassed about. He considered avoiding Iruka to be a strategically _sound_ decision.

“I’ll ask Iruka,” Kakashi lied to defuse the situation.

“Good boy,” Sakura said, patting his arm. Either she believed him or she simply did not care as long as Kakashi stopped involving her. It was actually pretty smart of her, considering Iruka’s temper. “I need to return to the bridge, but if you need anything,” Anything but _advice_ , “you know where to find me.”

“Aye,” Kakashi said sullenly.

Sakura stood up, brushing herself off. “Bye, Kakashi-san,” she said, leaving, the door swishing shut in her wake. On the rowing machine, Kakashi sighed deeply.

This was going to be hard.

 

Half an hour found Kakashi strolling the many halls, gazing through windows and subtly keeping an eye on the Rebels flurrying about. They must have been in the midst of changing shifts because suddenly there were Rebels everywhere.  Maybe Iruka would be too? D-deck was one of the busier areas, encompassing many of the public resources like gym and cafeteria, as well as the botanical garden Gai had been so proud of, and an obvious passing road for many.  Kakashi tried to keep to the sidelines, but he soon realized he probably stood out like a sore thumb as people were taking the long way around him even when in an obvious hurry. Quickly, before he could cause a scene, Kakashi dodged into a less used hallway where only the ship engines' slow humming kept him company.  
  
So, what now? Kakashi sighed, stilling in front of a particularly wide window, staring off into space.

Kakashi didn’t know how many of his brethren had survived or how much of the Empire still existed. Finding out obviously took top priority. Gai's ship now belonged to the Rebels; It increased the chances of him being alive, as opposed to those who had gotten their vessels destroyed. Iruka might know.Kakashi felt a pang in his chest, thinking of how he and Iruka had again been put on different sides of a major conflict. Regardless, the brunette would likely be one of Kakashi's best sources about the people they both knew. Kakashi breathed in deeply, allowing his gaze to drift along the ship's bright green interior.  
  
Being aboard the Dancing Lotus again felt weird, even without all the Rebels scurrying about. The last time, Kakashi had been in his late teens and, if he remembered correctly, in the process of locating Gai for some friendly strangling. Since then, the ship had undergone several heavy renovations. Kakashi still found his way around, but then, the layout wasn't that different from his own ship. Unsurprising, considering the foundations had been built around the same time.

Actually, scratch that, Kakashi’s was older because he’d graduated at a much younger age. Why was Gai’s the same as his?

As Kakashi was contemplating the mystery behind the similarities of their ships, his gaze aimlessly drifted to a sign board on the wall. Suddenly he could not breathe. _Savages._ Instead of getting the board replaced, the Rebels had used duct tape to attach handwritten notes to the wall, explaining the Standard terms in what Kakashi could only assume was the Rebels’ native tongue. As if this alone wasn’t already terrifying enough, they’d also seen fit to alter the ship title, stated at the top, using _permanent marker._

> The Dancing ~~Lotus~~ Dragon

Kakashi outlined a cross over his chest. "I'm sorry, friend," he said.

To think they'd defile the Empire’s only fighting flower... Sorry, dancing flower. (Gai was actually a pacifist, though the Royal Forces had always been too embarrassed to admit it to the public.) It was a disgrace. Gai's ship had had _personality._

Well, it still had, Kakashi had to admit looking at the bright green walls.

The quiet hiss of doors opening had Kakashi looking up. He was still thinking about the atrocities done to his friend's ship when he found himself met by two boobs. No, really! Two boobs, and Kakashi could swear the left one was winking at him.

“I’m Saraza. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Royal Forces.”

_They talk,_ was Kakashi’s first, amazed thought. Looking up, it turned out the boobs actually belonged to a woman. Who would have thought? “You’re not like I imagined,” the busty blonde said, giving Kakashi a long look. "Thinner." Kakashi felt a sting in his gut. Okay, so he already preferred the mammas without the host.

"You don't," Kakashi drawled, hoping she'd take it as an insult. "Look thin, I mean." Unfortunately, his jibe did not carry the full weight of his words as he couldn't quite keep his eyes from sliding downwards. The warrioress obviously knew what effect her rack had on the opposite sex, for her smile widened.

“Like what you see?” she mocked.

"Just worried you'll pop out of your vest," Kakashi mumbled. It was the truth too. The chain-mail she covered her upper torso with was absolutely tiny.

Upon Kakashi's admission, Saraza straightened her back. "Do you fight, soldier?" she asked, an obvious challenge and Kakashi wasn't known for passing up on those, especially if the process of indulging in one could help him get back into shape. Kakashi rolled his shoulder, flashing one of his own shameless smiles, knowing that the right feel would come across even if she could not see it with the mask.

 _Yes,_ he almost said. _Vertically as well as horizontally.  
_

\--

“Iruka-san, how can I help y—” Ayame flinched as Iruka slammed a folder on the counter in front of her.

“Don’t. Ask,” Iruka said, grating his teeth. He sat down on one of the stools, hunching his back. “Just give me a cup of beef ramen. Please. And some wine.”

“R-Right,” said Ayame, blinking. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Iruka-san this incensed and that was saying a lot, considering the times she’d heard his voice echoing down the hallways of the Dancing Dragon. Umino Iruka was a good person, but not particularly composed. Thinking of it, Ayame was pretty sure Iruka’s son had been part of the group that left the ship the night before. “How is Shiro-kun?” Ayame asked.

Iruka paused, obviously taken aback by her question. Maybe it wasn’t the boy that was weighing on his mind. “Ah... He’s fine.” The Communications Officer rubbed the side of his face. “Grounded for life, naturally, but fine.”

“That’s a relief!” said Ayame.

“Yeah, it is,” said Iruka with a small smile, but then his thoughts seemed to drift and the smile slowly fell away. It was a very vulnerable look and not one Ayame had seen on his face before.For a moment she could only stare, before catching herself and turning in a flurry of apron.

“R-Right, pork ramen coming up! Just a moment sir. I’ll also see to that wine.”

“Actually, skip the wine,” said Iruka. Ayame looked over her shoulder to see him holding his head. In a more quiet tone, probably not meant to be overheard, the Communications Officer muttered, “It’s not like alcohol will do anything to make the problem go away.”

Quietly, certain that Iruka did not want to share this moment with her, Ayame slipped away to the back.

\--

Unfortunately, the fight went horizontal a bit too quickly for Kakashi’s liking and not in the good way either.

“I will kill you, Empire cretin!” Saraza screeched, lying on the floor with Kakashi on top her, one hand stuck _in the crevice of her vest_ and trying to keep her still with the other.

It was an honest mistake, caused by his sluggish, still weakened muscles when Kakashi had been going for a back-swipe. Saraza was good, a warrior clearly devoted to her trade and in much better shape than Kakashi's present state, but she was still just a girl, reduced to a sobbing mess and banging on Kakashi's shoulder when his fist refused to unstick itself from her mesh.

It was a dramatically red-faced Royal Forces soldier who left the arena nearly fifteen minutes later, while a teary-eyed Saraza remained behind to tuck her escaped goodies back into the vest Kakashi had nearly torn it apart in his efforts to get away. In Kakashi's defense, he'd panicked, thinking for one moment he'd heard Iruka's voice in the hallway.

\--

Iruka sighed, sagging into one of the seats at the observatory. At this time of day, it was empty, leaving Iruka alone with the open view of a beautiful sky. He didn't want to think he was hiding, but he didn't want to go home either, knowing that Shiro would ask about his early return. For a moment, Iruka let himself admire the beauty of their world.

Iruka had always loved space, and stars especially. Even as a young kid trapped on that dump of a planet, he'd always dreamed of being up there one day. That was actually why he'd elected to become a teacher; His masterplan for getting on board a space vessel. Iruka laughed, finding it incredulous even now.  Surprisingly, things worked out quite well for him when usually an orphan would not make it on the space-bound team almost no matter what.

Then Iruka was taken captive. Iruka grew somber, thinking of the time leading to his life on the Empire mothership. They'd not been interested in him, obviously, but Iruka was the assistant teacher and the kids loved him. There Iruka met Kakashi. Iruka's fingers curled, squeezing the folder in his lap.

"What do you think, Sensei," Iruka said, turning his head up so he was speaking to the stars. "Should I do it again?"

 

TBC 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Since I doubt I'll be expanding on the ship thing in the actual story...
> 
> The reason why Gai's ship is a lot like Kakashi's is because Gai specifically asked for the same ship as his ETERNAL RIVAL's. The shipbuilders found his boisterous requests hilarious and so they went against protocol to build a ship that was essentially the same as Kakashi's, bar a few tweaks. To hide what they'd done, the shipbuilders went far overboard with the personalization of the ship and Gai loved the egregious result.


End file.
